Sleaze and Scream

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

It's not you, it's me. I have feelings for someone else. Her name is Something Weird Video. She may be a bit older and not know as much Italian as you do, but she brings so much more to the table. She almost always has at least twice as much to offer at less of my expense. And she's got plenty of other goodies to boot too. Her personality is so diverse, not to mention a little kinky. I hope you understand and can find it in your heart to remain friends. We have had plenty of wonderful times together, some of my most favorite. I will always cherish our memories and revisit them often. Keep in touch.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Up-tempo Riffs That Sound Like They Belong On A Late 90s Pop Punk Album? Check. (But don't exit out of this review just yet!)

Bongripper's seventh release consists of only the two titular tracks and clocks in at just under ten minutes. Despite the above mentioned seemingly out of character riffs, this release is undoubtedly a Bongripper release. Sex Tape opens with with the pounding drums and droning, sludgy guitars that are found across their entire discography. About halfway through the song it switches to a d-beat based crossover/hardcore riff before switching back to a more slow and plodding rhythm.

Snuff Film starts with some feedback and a melancholy sounding riff before breaking into a bass led, upbeat and uptempo riff that brings to mind the bleached blond hair, shitty mohawks, and hiked-up white tube socks of the 90s "punk" scene.

Just in case you forgot how da bomb that era was. PSYCHE!

Eventually the song gives way back to the Bongripper riffing that we all know and love and that would make the Tom DeLonges of yesteryear shit their Dickie's shorts. The song finishes up with some start and stop riffing mixed with some ever-so-welcome feedback.

Bongripper has effectively been able to add elements from other genres to their albums while still maintaining a sound that is specifically their own. From the experimental aspects of Hate Ashbury to the black metal inspired Satan Worshiping Doom, they have been able to incorporate other styles of music that thematically fit their releases while not losing what makes them Bongripper. How pop punk ties into an album titled "Sex Tape/Snuff Film" is still beyond me. Anatopisms aside, this is a solid release, even if it is a slight change of pace (ha ha!) for the band. You can download Sex Tape/Snuff Film, as well as all their other releases, from their bandcamp page.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

The summer after I graduated high school, I decided I was going to film a zombie movie. I wrote a script (minus 90% of the dialogue--I let the actors improvise), enlisted the help of my friends, and set out to shoot this backyard epic. After spending $300 (I'm still confused as to on what) and three days filming, I had a large part of my first film making endeavor under my belt. I spent the rest of the summer and most of the fall editing the footage into Open Season, my first ever, 10 minute long, shitty, riddled with inside jokes from my group of friends, backyard movie. I put it on YouTube under "Grey Ghost Productions" (another inside joke) in two parts--this was back when YouTube's maximum video length was a lot shorter than it is today. I was hoping to "re-release" it as one full video, but it appears that the original full length file, along with all of the raw footage, was lost during a computer issue I had. Apparently the first half of my movie is so off putting that only one-third of the 1000 people that have watched it went on to watch the second half--their loss because the second half has the best action and gore!

Although I do fully admit this movie is a piece of shit, I'm still proud of it and it was a fun project. I feel like I should have some Lloyd Kaufman-esque statement about independent art here, but I'm drawing a blank. If you know who Lloyd Kaufman is, you'll understand what I'm trying to get at. Anyways, here is Open Season in its two parts and all of its shitty glory.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Last Chance to Reason was a band I first saw when I was fifteen, possibly sixteen years old. Since they're from Maine, I've seen them more times than I can count over the course of primarily three different line ups. It's also because of this that I became friends with the guys in the band and have followed their journey from playing local shows to being signed to Prosthetic Records to touring with such bands as Atheist. Although I may be biased in my liking of the band to a certain extent, that is not the justification for this review. All friendships and history aside, this album is fucking amazing.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

The Mountain Goats have released a new album, All Eternals Deck. I will be writing this review as I listen to the album for the very first time to offer the strongest impressions one can have about art, first impressions. I will be very lightly editing the review after the listen-through, however, to ensure that accuracy and decent writing are present as much as possible.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

The Nintendo 3DS released today (March 27th) in North America and I have gotten my grubby mitts on a cosmo black system (the 3DS is also available in aqua blue.) The system is launching for $249 and games run between $40-50 each. The 3DS has improved graphics and processing power compared to the now old Nintendo DS. But, the real draw of the 3DS is glasses-free 3D gaming.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

It’s been over a month since I’ve made a post on the blog, but the new Eyehategod DVD was released on Tuesday and surprisingly my local music store actually had it, so I figured I’d do a quick write-up about it. After seeing Eyehategod live last year in Cambridge, Mass I had an idea of how awesome it was going to be, and it definitely did not disappoint me. This is the best sludge band ever and while they are great on every album, they are a band that needs to be experienced live to be fully appreciated. The volume at which they play and the amount of feedback their music is drenched in puts you in another state when you see them live. The set lists for both the Cleveland and Baltimore shows are perfect, the band plays live staples such as “Sister Fucker (Part 1)” and “Jackass in the Will of God”, while also playing some songs that don’t get played live as often, like “Dogs Holy Life” and “Crimes Against Skin” (which they admit to not playing in years). Besides the two full sets, the DVD also has some bonus features: 3 songs from a set in Vienna Austria and videos for “Sister Fucker,” “Age of Bootcamp,” and “Anxiety Hangover.” This DVD might not be a substitute for seeing them in person, but it is essential viewing for any fan of the band that IS sludge metal.

Saturday, March 12, 2011

This week's Face Off review may be delayed a few day. I hope you, the readers (all 3.5 of you), don't mind. I'm in Florida for spring break and don't know if I'll be able to watch it and review it on time. By the time I get to it it will be old news but oh well, I'll still give my two cents.

Also, I have added a chat to the blog (on the right hand side). Feel free to leave comments, suggestions, insults, anything you'd like.

Hopefully I/we will become more diligent about posting after break and as school winds down.